This project, the first of its kind in Indiana, uses wind power to benefit a school and a city.

Randolph County in eastern Indiana boasts natural wind resources. For this reason, the county wanted to be the first community in its state to generate wind power for the benefit of a school corporation and a city. It all started with a science teacher’s idea to build a small turbine for classroom education. The school system and city realized that they could also generate profits from the sale of renewable energy.

With the promise of revenue from carbon credits and electricity sales, the community decided to construct two 330 foot, two-blade turbines—one for the Randolph Eastern School Corporation and the other for the City of Union City. Each 1 MW turbine is estimated to produce over 2,000 MWh of electricity annually, equivalent to powering 250 homes per year. These turbines are expected to generate a profit of $3 million for the city and school over the next 25 years.

The developer, Performance Systems Inc., will own the turbines for five years, at which point ownership will be transferred to the city and school. In the meantime, the city and school will receive money from the sale of electricity to a regional utility, Indiana Michigan Power Company. This provides a key source of funding for local budgets. The city and school will also receive 100% of the carbon offset revenues.

Project construction was completed in October 2010. To help the project meet its financial requirements, NativeEnergy is using its Help Build™ model to make an upfront purchase of the five year stream of carbon reductions.

Bryan Conklin, the mayor of Union City, said: “The agreement with NativeEnergy is a critical component to our community wind project. The partnership and funds provided by NativeEnergy will enable Union City to leverage the full benefit of installing a renewable energy facility. The funds provided will help ensure that this project remains tax neutral to our taxpayers and will help create a successful community wind project. Union City appreciates the support and vision of NativeEnergy and looks forward to producing green, clean energy in Indiana for many years to come.”

Sustainable Development Benefits

Reduces 14,210 metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution

Replaces polluting grid-based electricity with renewable energy

Helps stabilize the electric grid with distributed, small-scale power generation

Generates important revenue for the school system and city government

Provides green energy learning opportunities for the school and community

Project Participants

Validation and Verification

The project will be validated and its carbon offsets verified to the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).

Financial Additionality

In addition to meeting the stringent requirements of VCS, NativeEnergy has ensured that the system would not have been implemented without the opportunity to receive revenues from the sale of its carbon offsets.